Victorian Mourning Rituals: Tear Catchers

The further we both go into our research of the Victorian era, the more we discover objects such as this. I give you the Tear Catcher or Lachrymatory (taken appropriately from the word ‘lachrymose’, which means “given easily to tears or to crying; mournful”.). From Wikipedia, “A tear catcher, also called a Tear Bottle, is typically an ornamental vase piece, made from blown glass and dyed appropriately to the creator’s taste. There is an attached glass fixture at the opening of the stem that is formed to your eye.” The tear catcher shown below is 17th-18th century Persian origin, sold at Christie’s back in 2008. They also sold a 19th century Qajar catcher here, of similar style. Note how it’s shaped to the eye itself for easier tear collection. (Did I actually just type that? I love you, Victorian Era.)

According to Tear Catcher Gifts, “The tear bottle tradition has endured for more than 3,000 years. Tear bottles, or lachrymatory, were common in ancient middle Eastern societies. Even today they are still produced in that region. Tear bottles were prevalent in ancient Roman times, when mourners filled small glass vials or cups with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect. Sometimes women were even paid to cry into “cups”, as they walked along the mourning procession. Those crying the loudest and producing the most tears received the most compensation, or so the legend goes. The more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. … Tear bottles reappeared during the Victorian period of the 19th century, when those mourning the loss of loved ones would collect their tears in bottles ornately decorated with silver and pewter. Special stoppers allowed the tears to evaporate. When the tears were gone, the mourning period would end.”

You can find a lovely selection of Tear bottles here or at funerary supply stores around the Internet. I appreciate the notion of using the tear catcher as a timekeeper of sorts for mourning. There is solace in the notion that mourning and grief should be allotted its own period of time, the mourner given proper space to acknowledge and eventually accept the loss and change in their life. When the tears vanish, however, it gives the bereaved a deadline for any indulgence and signifies that life moves on while memories and love remain.

Is the idea of a tear catcher an overindulgence in grief, emblematic of Victorian mortuary excesses, or a helpful aid in a time of mourning? Let’s discuss in the comments.

Post navigation

17 thoughts on “Victorian Mourning Rituals: Tear Catchers”

I’d never heard of such a thing so I found this really interesting. It might be an excessive cultural style but the idea of mourning rituals linked specifically to the body (tears) and the passage of time (their evaporation) seems very profound to me.

Fascinating point about the specific linkage to the body through the tears and the ritual itself. It reminds me of the physicality of mourning in antiquity (i.e., the professional mourners who were required to beat their breasts, tear their hair, etc. while processing). It appears that they toned down such excesses but their desire to leave items with the deceased as physical representations of their sorrow remained.

These objects are beautiful! Their purpose a bit depressing. But as one currently immersed in grief, I can attest to the need for solace where ever it can be found. It is very symbolic and a bit profound. Though to be quite honest, I am a bit afraid I would stab myself in the eye trying to collect the tears if I were truly having one of my sobbing episodes; at which point, no doubt, I would be crying for other reasons.

I too think some of these are quite lovely; many of them remind me of perfume bottles.

I have to agree with you that it has to be somewhat awkward to have to attempt to collect any tears during a good cry. Like you, I’d end up smearing the tears all over my already tear-smeared face and catching myself in the eye or something equally silly. That being said, I am truly sorry to hear that you are grieving; my deepest sympathies for your pain and sincere wishes for solace and peace in the future.

Interesting. I have seen some that look like perfume bottles, and some are quite similar in style, but others I’ve found are very different (see the Persian tear catchers linked at Christies) that are clearly not logistically viable as perfume bottles. I’d also like to think that Christies would have done extensive research before putting an historical item up for auction to knowledgeable clientele.

Well that Persian tear catcher is Persian and from what I can tell predates the Victorian era, so they are from the wrong time and place. I was not disputing that tear catchers existed, merely saying that it may not have been a Victorian practice. There’s no real evidence to support the idea that they did.

That Persian tear catcher pictured is much better glass work than most any other example I could find of 17-18th century Persian glass. The un-pictured one fits better with the glass of the time. But neither looks like something I’d want to to put near my eye while I was crying with any force. To me their shape suggests something else entirely.

Tear catchers may just be an idea that people liked so much they retroactively applied it to susceptible cultures. It’s not the first time it would have ever happened.

As I stated in the post, the tear-catcher tradition goes back 3,000 years or more, clearly predating the Victorians. I included that particular example as a contrast to other bottles pictured. I do agree with you that if I was actually in mourning, I wouldn’t want to put something like that near my eye. The entire practice is an unusual one and not one in which I would necessarily partake. As for applying it to ‘susceptible cultures’, in your words, that’s not my intention here. I’ll always allow for the uncertainty of history in these matters.

I didn’t mean to imply that you specifically were applying it to cultures. What I mean is that the idea of a tear catcher is poetic and one that people would like to believe is true. And it’s easy to add it to cultures that were known to have lavish mourning rituals such as the Victorians were known for.

While I won’t go so far as to state it was never practiced, I will commit to saying there is a lack of evidence that it was ever practiced at any time period.

Sorry didn’t mean to click yet. Does anyone know what kind of material the stoppers were made out of that let the tears evaporate over time? If not could anyone recommend something that would have this effect? Thanks